Tiltable post.



C. A. POOLE.

TILTABLE- Pos1. APPICATION FILED APR. I9. |916.

Pat-61111111111116111918.

/ I mfjyvmmm Sgn, 1w Snow,

du afm/ W CHARLES A. POOLE, 0F JERSEY CITY, NEW JERSEY.

TILTABLE POST.

Specication of Letters Patent.

Application led April 19, 1916. Serial No. 92,106.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES A. Poom, of Jersey City, Hudson county, New Jersey, a citizen of the United States, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Tiltable Posts, of which the following is a specification.

This inventionvrelates to improvements in tiltable posts adapted for use as signal or lamp posts and the object of the invention is to provide a post having freedom of movement in all directions, so that when struck, by a vehicle for instance, or from other cause, the post will be tilted instead of breaking or bending, and automatically return to vertical position. In cases where the post serves -as a sign post, in addition to carrying lighting fixtures, the invention contemplates the provision of means for preventing lateral displacement of that portion of( the post which carries streets signs or the li e.

With the above land other objects in view, my invention is embodied in a tiltable post as hereinafter described and as illustrated in the accompanyin drawing in which- Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view of the post with parts broken away;

Fig. 2 is a lan View of the foundation member lwith the base of the post tilted and shown in sectio Fig. 3 is an enlar ed sectional view of a portion of the foun ation member and the post base showing the means for preventing lateral displacement of the latter, and

Fig. 4 is a view in elevation of the parts ,shown in Fig. 3.

The reference numeral 5 denotes a foundation member adapted to' be buried in the ground Hush with the street surface 6 and provided with a retaining flange 7 and lugs 8, which preferably proJect inwardly and are adapted to receive the foundation bolts 9 which are screwed into a concrete foundation 10 which is carried up over the retaining flange 7 to the street surface and whereby the foundation is firmly anchored.

Above the street surface the foundation member is formed with a collar 11 having ,15. The pipe 14 is means' for lugs 12 to which a cross bar 13 may be bolted as shown. To said cross bar 13 is secured a pipe 14 by means of couplin members at also exten ed down into the concrete in which a suitable opening is provided, as shown, for connection with the electric service cable 16 or gas supply pipe if such is used. 17 isfa wire cable extending down into the pipe 14 and which carries a piston 18 at its lower end, which piston is packed -in the usual manner to move substantially airtight in the pipe 14 which forms a Ycylinder for the said piston. 60 is anair pipe connected to the pipe 14 by a rbranch 61. The air pipe 60 carries at the to a check valve 62 and an air regulating va ve63 which may be adjusted by tilting Patented June 11, 1918.

the post. 19 is an expansion spring. urging l carries the electric bulb 24 to which current.

is supplied by a suitable cable 25 connected to the service mains 16 and which extends up through the pipe 20. The kconcrete foundation is hollowed out as shown to provide space for the slack `of the cable and to facilitate inspection and repairs The base 21 is relatively heavy and in the form of an inverted cup designed to closely hug the base collar 11 with just sufficient freedom of movement to permit the base 21 to tilt. 27 is a cross bar secured to the base. The wire cable 17 -extends up through the said bar and is knotted or provided with exerting a steady downward pull on the base and post under the influence of the spring 19' as is obvious. l

' At the foot of the collar 11 on the foundation member 5 there is provided a horizontal shoulderv 28 as shown. The foundation member is provided with teeth, lugs or shaped with vertical `sides 31 vided to carry od the water.

projections 30 in the corner between the collar 11 and theseat28 formed by said-shoulder, Fig. 3. 'lCheprojections are carefully and rounded corners 32. The base 2l is provided with a VCorrespending number of sockets or holj llowed out portions 33 cfa shapeto permitshown in lFigLB, the Sockets 33 of the base have inwardlyv sloping roofs or' bottoms 36, the inner ar'ch 37' or opening of which closely over thetooth 30 while the outer arch 38 orxopening is of. a height equal to the length of the tooth 301: permit ,the base to rtilt and lwhereby as shown iii-Fig. 3 at 40,

when the base has been tilted into estreme horizontal"'positionythe -teeth 34.-; remain on -their seats on the;'foundatie,n.v f

The object of thisl `coiustruction .is-to pre` vent the base from climbing i the `foundation when the post 1. is tilted which would cause it to become laterally displaced on the foundation before :coming to rest in the vertical position andl wherebythesigns on 'the post wouldbecome displaced and useless.

Experiments have demonstrated that when the post is tilted by a violent blow, it gyrates on thel foundation in trying to right itself. ln so doing it is apt to move laterally on` the foundation. yl"he means described,`hovvever, prevents such lateral displacement. llt will be noted that in the half-way down position at 50 in Fig. 3, a large portion of thetooth 34 remains between the teeth on the foundation, and the vertical sides 51 on the sockets 33 vcoperate with the verticalsides 3l on the teeth 30 to prevent the teeth on the base from jumping the teeth on the foundation.

When the post tilts the piston 18 is pulled up in the pipe 14C and sucks air into the latter by way of the check valve G2 and the pipes 60 and 6l. lhen the post is pulled back into vertical position, the piston 18 is pushed down into the pipe 14 and as now the check valve is closed, the air below the piston is compressed into a cushion for checking the violence of the come back motion of the post, and the latter will, instead of swaying considerably back and forth for a While, almost immediately come to rest on the foundation member. The valve 63 may be adjusted so as to provide for a more or less rapid exit of the air from the pipe ld as is obvious.

From the foregoing read to ether with the drawing it is apparent that t e post is kept normally upright because of its weight and the pull of the spring on the cable 17. When .shareenough,

As clearly nts.

naeaaia a vehicle' *strikes the l base only, the wheels will glide loil from 'it because of the' cup And whenl ythe: blow is strong right again by the spring and the cable.

rlhetiltable post as herein described and illustrated is very,l simple construction, easy to erect and maybe manufactured at a reasonably low ligure. dov-not, of course,

'the post will be tilted, but pulled upintend to limitpmyself/jby usingthe terms teeth or sockets or by describingor showing these or other parts in their-,preferred form. But l `inttmd't'o claim allsuch kmodications of constructions as conejwithnthe scope of the principle offmy invention andthe appended'claims. y

1. A.' tiltable post comprising a foundation member, a post'member'restingf on the same and adaptedto tilt-thereon, directing means on lsaid VVpost, projections formed on said foundation member, c'operating projections ,formedfon saidpostl member. and adapted to t betweenthev projections on the foundertion inembei, flexible means connecting the vsaid two membersand means tending to manitainsaidpost member in normally upright position. --j l 2. 'it-vtiltableH postcomprising a foundation f l member, a'` post member'thereon and adapted j to tilt Vwith respect thereto, directing means on said@ post, 'coperating means on said members j preventingv .relative` lateral .displacement of the'same and means *for checking the return movement of said post after vit has beenti'lted. v f 1 .3. A tiltable post comprising a foundation member, 'a postk member directing means on said post adapted to tilt on` said lfoundation member, projections formed on one of said members, .the otherof which 'l is provided with corresponding recesses adapted to lit over the said projections, means tending to maintain said post in normal vertical posin tion and Y means for checking the return movement osaid post after it has been tilted.

L A tiltable post comprising a foundation member having an upwardly projecting portion, a post member supported on said foundation member and adapted to tilt with respect thereto, directing means on said post, said post member being provided with a cup shaped base adapted to surround and closely hug said upwardly projecting portion on the foundation member, means tending to maintain the said post in upright position and means for checking the return movemento said post after it has been tilted.

5. A tiltable post comprising a foundation member, a post member thereon and adapted to tilt with respect thereto, directing means on said post, means tending to maintain said tof mesma post member in upright-position and means iexible means, a cylinder Within which said for checking the return movement of the piston moves, means for admitting air to theV 10 post after it has been tilted. cylinder below thev said piston when the post 6. A tiltable post comprising a foundation is tilted, means for restoring the post to upmember, a post member thereon and adapted right position and means for regulating the to tilt with respect thereto, directing means escape of the air in the cylinder when the on said post, fiexible means connecting the said post again assumes its upright position. 15 said two members, a piston attached to said CHARLES A. POOLE. 

